


Catch

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 07:04:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5958172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was his worst nightmare. Robin was falling, his powers were gone. And he was going to lose his son all over again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch

**Author's Note:**

> I just have a lot of dad feels, and am sick of canon’s interpretation of Bruce, so. Here’s Bruce saving his fucking kid and being a loser-dad.

It was the worst-case scenario. It was everything Bruce was trying to avoid, everything he was scared of. _Terrified of_.

Damian lost his powers.

_Mid-flight._

And he watched from the ground as Damian realized it. As he went from soaring to falling. Hard, fast, _too fast-_

Time seemed to slow to a near halt.

Even as Bruce started running, as he dropped the criminal and sprinted as fast as his armoured legs would carry him, he saw Damian reach for his belt, out of habit. For the grapple gun that was supposed to be there. That Damian stopped carrying ages ago, because he believed himself invincible.

Like every ten-year-old. Powers or not.

Even from his distance, he saw Damian's eyes widen behind the mask. Felt his own heart speed up tenfold.

Not again. He couldn't lose his son again.

His mind jumbled then, body moving on automatic.

 _It's the Graysons all over again. This must have been how Dick felt. Oh god, Dick, what_ is _he going to feel? He can't lose Damian either, not before he gets the chance to see him again. Damian's going to die again, and he's not going to know that Dick's alive. I shouldn't have lied, I should have told him the truth. No, no, focus, think. Dick won't lose Damian again,_ I _won't lose Damian again. No more Batmans losing Robins, think, think,_ think _, Dick's saved Damian before. What would Dick do,_ what would Dick do-

He slid across the hood of the police car. Shoved away the criminal waiting to punch him. Literally threw Harvey Bullock to the ground.

Damian had found him now. Was watching him, already having accepted the inevitable. There was no fire escape to grab. No hand to hold, or rope to swing on. Just him, the sky and the ground.

And his dad.

_Just catch him, just catch him, just catch him-_

He suddenly doesn't know how he got there. Doesn’t remember running, or even seeing Damian fall in the first place.

But he does remember leaping those last few feet. He does remember colliding with Damian midair, wrapping his arms around the child - around his _baby_ \- and spinning, so it was his shoulder that slammed into the concrete, not Damian's face.

As he rolled to a stop, on his back, Damian sprawled across his chest, his black cape fluttering across them both, time seemed to catch up to him. Resumed to normal speed. All sound came back, shouting, sirens, thumps of punches.

The quick nervous breaths of a little boy.

He stared up at the clouds as he put a hand on Damian's back. Felt the jut of his shoulder blade, along with the rise and fall of his lungs, still pumping with adrenaline.

He was good. _They_ were good. Damian was safe and they were _good_.

He felt Damian shift, already moving to pull off, even as Gordon ran up next to them.

Bruce didn't let him, though. Held his son tighter, buried his fingers in his hair as he sat up, and hid Damian within the safety of his cape.

"What the hell happened?" Gordon demanded. "He need an ambulance? I can have one here in-"

Bruce felt Damian shake his head against his throat. Dig his tiny fingers against the armoured emblem on his chest.

"We're good, Jim. Thank you." Bruce swore. "Just...give us a minute."

Gordon nodded, and headed back to Bullock, who was standing over the suddenly apprehended criminals. Apparently Robin falling out of the sky didn't distract only Batman.

Gently, he pulled Damian back. Kept his hands on his shoulders even as he asked, "Are you alright?"

Damian nodded, glanced sheepishly down at his hands. Flexed them once, twice. "I...I can't feel it."

"Feel what?"

"That...power. The stuff that helped me fly, gave me the abilities, I can't...it's not there." He flexed his hands one more time, holding the closed fist as he looked up at Bruce with furrowed brows. "I don't think I can fly anymore."

Damian looked sad about that, sadder than a boy his age ever should, but Bruce smiled anyway.

"Good." He admitted, leaving a kiss on Damian's forehead. "I'm glad."

Damian scoffed, and Bruce could feel him rolling his eyes from under his lips. " _Father_."

“I _am_. Those powers of yours were just a heart attack waiting to happen. For _me_ , anyway.” Bruce chuckled, running his fingers over Damian’s hair. And it wasn’t a joke, not really. He could still feel his heart beating wildly against his ribs. “You’re safer without them.”

“On the contrary.” Damian pouted. “I will _literally_ be one hundred percent _less_ safe now.”

“Nonsense. I’ll protect you.” Bruce promised, though playfully added, “As your dad, it’s my job you know.”

Damian scoffed in disgust, even as he let Bruce tug him back against his chest. He hesitantly leaned back against the emblem, slowly, carefully, as if he wasn’t allowed to. “And as _Batman_ , you have much more important things to worry about.”

“Never.” Bruce almost cut off, squeezing Damian’s shoulders even as hooked his chin over the child’s hair. Closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, tried to control his heart, control his lingering fear. Tried not to picture the alternative of this. Damian splattered on the pavement, bloody and broken and _gone_. Taken from him again. And he’d promised himself, the last time. If he ever got a second chance, he wouldn’t leave anything unsaid. No matter how awkward, no matter how meaningful. “Damian, there is _nothing_ more important than you.”

Damian didn’t say anything, but Bruce felt him tense under his fingertips.

“Now come on,” Bruce glanced over towards the scene. “It looks like you and I aren’t needed here anymore. So why don’t you and I call it a night early for once?”

Damian started to say something, but the word was immediately aborted as Bruce shifted, moving to stand, all while keeping Damian firmly in his arms. In his surprise, the boy clung to Batman’s neck, pushing his cheek nervously against his throat.

“Whoa!”

Bruce just laughed.

He glanced over at Gordon, who had clearly been watching them as Bullock took care of the criminals. He nodded to the cop, and Gordon nodded knowingly back. Bruce turned without a word, then. Hiked Damian a little higher in his arms, and started towards the alleyway, where the Batmobile was parked.

“…Father?” Damian whispered, as soon as they were in the relative safety of the alley’s shadows. His arms were still around Bruce’s neck, head leaning exhaustedly against his own shoulder.

“Hm?”

“…Thank you for catching me.”

Bruce didn’t answer. But Batman just smiled, and held his bird a little tighter.


End file.
